Customer Reviews

A Special Kind of Love: For Those Who Love Children with Special Needs

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If you have a special needs child, get this book. If you know of someone with a special needs child, get this book for them. They'll be encouraged by others who've worked through the special social and fatigue issues of their parenting. Besides sharing from their own experiences with mentally and physically handicapped or chronically ill children and grandchildren, the authors have invited other special-needs parents to get to the heart issues of their lives. The book is chock full of practical stories, like having a coming-home party when a sick child came home from the hospital. Or a "Blessings Jar" to help them focus on the positive. Having a trusted male relative take a wheel-chaired teen to the prom so she wouldn't be "dateless." Keeping thank-you cards in the car for when someone extends special grace. Printing up business cards to hand out when an autistic child has a public "inappropriate behavior" episode. Writing notes to curious neighbors about your special needs child, and inviting them to support the charity seeking a cure for the problem. There's so much more. You'll be glad you bought the book. I'm sharing mine with a friend with a special needs child to encourage her that she's not alone in her task.

When I first heard about this book, I figured it would be another compilation filled with a few great stories with the rest being just okay. As soon I read the first few pages I knew I was wrong.
If you have a special needs child, or you know someone who does, then this is a wonderful book to read. The format of the most incredible stories with the follow up comments by the authors makes this book both enjoyable and informative. The spiritual applications are strong without being puhy. The pictures of tthese special children added much to the book and made me want to read the stories again. There's something exhilarating about reading how every day families cope in extraordinary ways with the hands they have been dealt. This is the kind of resource that needs to be around for years to come.

Honest. Moving. Poignant. Heart-wrenching. All these describe the stories contained in A Special Kind of Love by Susan Titus Osborn and Janet Lynn Mitchell. But nothing describes those stories more clearly than the word challenging.

From the agony of a mother sitting beside an incubator watching the life-and-death struggle of her tiny newborn, to the outrage of parents over the hurtful taunting of their "different" child by "normal" children, to the indescribable grief of a father watching his child's casket being lowered into the ground, these true-life stories will challenge readers to a greater depth of love. While offering practical helps as well as loving encouragement to those who are currently caring for special-needs children, the authors offer no pat answers, no tried-and-true formulas for success, no one-size-fits-all remedy for the pain and frustration that inevitably come with the job.

Why did God give me a handicapped child? Why did my baby die before I had a chance to hold him in my arms? Why doesn't God heal my child the way He has healed others? All of these are legitimate questions. But sometimes the only answer is that God knows why, and we don't ... and that's the way it is. Yet in the midst of the long and difficult struggle that comes with accepting that answer, there is great blessing.

These courageous caretakers and unconditional lovers of special children have chosen to come forward and bless others by sharing their own stories gained through trials and heartache, disappointments and loss. But they also share the blessings of triumphs and victory, achievements and success, as both they and their children learned, day by day, to live and rejoice in A Special Kind of Love.

This book is the first book I have that contains so many first hand experiences from parents/grandparents/friends of children with special needs. It sooths and encourages a broken heart when my day to day burden seems to be too much to bear. It speaks for me and say the things that I cannot express through my own words. It changes the way I look at my disabled child. This is the first book I come across that has poems for a special child. As the parents share, the hope is one day, when I meet my special child in heaven, everything will be alright. It's such a great book. It amazes me and my husband that the US has such a inclusive and open culture toward Special children. I'm planning to buy a few more copies of the book to share with other parents in Hongkong. We need more books like that. I really think this book is a gift from God to me when I need it most. It's a really encouraging book that every parent with a special needs child should read. It strengths and comforts. If anyone come across similar books, pls let me know
Esther Leung.

Being the mother of a special needs child, I constantly search out things that may help me cope or understand raising a child with disabilities a little bit better. This book was a reassurance to me in that I was able to see many situations that were similar to mine and the outcomes (good or bad) helped me realize that we will be able to handle whatever comes our way. Nice stories of many different families. Get a box of tissue when you read it.

This is a wonderful book both for parents of special needs children and anyone who wants to convey to others what its like. This book helped me through a really tough time and validated many of the feelings I was Having

I really liked this book but some of the stories are the exact duplicate of what is found in "Chicken soup for the Soul, Children with Special Needs." I found that kind of frustrating.

The book provides helpful information I haven't seen much about elsewhere, including dealing with teachers and doctors who don't understand what's truly needed, coping with grief, comments from people who don't understand, and handling overwhelming demands of caring for special kids. But the best part is that it helps the reader know other people who have experienced the same things and can sympathize with the demands, heartaches, and joys of parenting children with special needs. I wish this book had been available when we were raising our kids. It has a strong Christian aspect but will also be helpful to people not of that faith.

I do not have a child with special challenges, but even still I learned some new things. I loved the quotes and photos throughout the book and the sensitive nature of the authors. If you live or work with children with special needs, get this book. You are not alone.
In my work as a speaker on family issues, I often have these courageous parents who want powerful resources to help them. A Special Kind of Love is one resource I can recommend.